The Impact of Regulatory Policies on the Practices of Fire Protection Engineers in Australia

Presented by Peter Johnson, FSFPE, Principal and Fellow, Arup

Australia has had a performance based building code and a regulatory system based on private certification now for 20 years. Fire fatalities and property losses continue to reduce although some are concerned about significant latent risks of large destructive fires in the future. The number of fire protection engineers working in Australia has grown rapidly. However, there are concerns with competency of some fire protection engineers and building design outcomes arising from practices of less than competent engineers and certifying building surveyors. Recent government inquiries have highlighted issues with the quality of some buildings and their approvals, although many innovative new buildings have been constructed. Other commentators have flagged the lack of proper audits and enforcement of building practitioners, including fire protection engineers.

Future proposals in Australia for the introduction of a New Zealand style Verification Method and ultimate regulation of all building hazards, including fire safety, on the basis of risk raise the bar still further on the competency of fire protection engineers and other professionals in the building and construction industry required in the future. The paper offers some insights into Australia practice and the challenges for fire protection engineers which may be useful for other countries still developing their performance based regulatory regimes.